The Reclaimed Rose (Annalise and Steven)

Shane wasn't stupid, either. He knew what Sasha was getting at. "So what you're saying is, they might end up as miserable as me?" "Bingo," Sasha said with a nod. He made no reply.

Only then did he realize how he had indeed been living like a man-child under his father's roof before the latter threw him out. Back when he and Carlisle were on good terms, his friends put him on a pedestal and went along with his shenanigans. But now, they wouldn't so much as spare him the time of day. Shane couldn't help but chuckle mirthlessly.

Sasha pointed out, "Your old friends were unreliable and would only show up for a good time, but there are always others who truly care about you."

Shane eyed Sasha eagerly as if suddenly enlightened and asked, "Did you ask me out so you could tell me that you care about me?"

She nearly sputtered. She had asked Shane to meet her for lunch so she could plot her revenge against Yvonne, not turn herself into collateral damage!

She drew a deep breath and blamed herself for letting Shane steer the conversation off-track. She even threw in some sage advice, for that matter! Now that he had brought up the reason why she wanted to meet him, she decided to cut to the chase, cruel as it might be. Feigning indifference, Sasha countered, "Am I the only person you think who cares about you?"

"Is there someone else?" Shane asked, frowning in confusion.

"Dumbass." She didn't think she would meet someone dumber than her. "Did you forget about Yvonne? Didn't she call you after you were disgraced?"

She would repay Yvonne for making trouble for her, refusing to go down without a fight. As far as she was concerned, Yvonne deserved it for scheming against her!

Shane considered Sasha's statement. "You may be right!"

Sasha gritted her teeth. "That means she has romantic feelings for you."

He raised a brow. "If she did, why didn't she hit me up sooner?"

Sasha raised her hand and smacked her forehead in exasperation. "My dear child, did you forget who you were and what you were like before your father gave up on you? You were the eldest son of the CEO of Winslow Group.

"You stood to inherit a large, wealthy family business! More importantly, you were seeing someone at the time."

The mere mention of Jenny made

Sasha hate Shane more. It was one thing for him to see someone romantically, but to drag her into his mess and call Jenny his "stand-in lover was disgusting. He had screwed up everything in his life, including his relationship

Sasha couldn't care less about using Shane as a pawn for her revenge now. "And Yvonne is just an ordinary young woman with no powerful background to speak of. It was only natural for her to feel lesser than you and fear approaching you."

Something like comprehension dawned on Shane, though not completely.

Sasha spelled it out for him. "You were a prince back in the day. Everyone worshipped the ground

you walked on, and you were waket

beyond Yvonne's league. But things are different now that your dad

publicly cut you off. esnoveldrama

you as an average Joe

She lowered her voice and continued, "That's why she approached you after your downfall. She wants to remind you of her presence. Isn't that enough proof of her feelings for you?"

The idea finally clicked in Shane's mind. "Oh, so what you're saying is, she loves me?"

Sasha was so excited that she clapped once. "That's it! Think about it: why else would she come up to you out of the blue and tell you I'm making bank?"